Pockets for garments



April 15, 1969 c. DOBELL POCKETS FOR GARMENTS Filed March 8, 1967 United States Patent US. 'Cl. 2-247 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Garments, particularly jackets or blazers, are provided with interchangeable patch-pockets, particularly in the position of the breast pocket. The garment and the portion of fabric constituting the patch-pocket have interengaging means, for example the strips of fabric sold under the registered trademark Velcro for releasably securing the two together.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to pockets for garments and has for an object to provide for the possibility of the rapid interchange of pockets on garments and especially for the interchange of the breast pocket on blazers where the owner of the blazer is a member of more than one club or other organisation whose members are entitled to wear a special distinguishing badge on the breast pocket of the blazer. With the present construction of blazers the owner is in the difficulty that if he belongs to more than one club which provides a club badge, he is committed to the purchase of two or more blazers in order to be able to display the appropriate club badge at the appropriate time, Also, staff in various industries wear uniforms carrying some sort of identification or badge on a patch pocket, and it may be convenient to make such patch pockets with identifica tion badge interchangeable with plain pockets according to this invention, so that the same jacket may be worn off duty hours with no identification.

According to the present invention there is provided a garment having removably attached thereto a piece of fabric in the shape of a patch pocket, there being provided on the garment, along the side and bottom edges of the position of the patch pocket, and in the corresponding position of the piece of fabric, interengaging means for releasably securing the two together. The garment is preferably a jacket or blazer or comparable garment, and the patch pocket is usually the breast pocket. It will be appreciated that by means of the two complementary securing means, ready attachment and removal of the patch pocket may be eifected and, therefore, an individual who is entitled to Wear more than one club badge can al ways be sure that he is able to display upon a single garment any one of a number of appropriate club badges or a plain patch pocket.

Whilst a variety of complementary securing means are available, one particularly useful and convenient form of interengaging securing means comprises a first strip of flexible material, one surface of which carries short, stiff, flexible, hooked fibres, secured to one of the garment and the piece of fabric, and a second strip of fllexible material, one surface of which carries short, stifi', flexible, looped fibres adapted to be engaged by the Said hooked fibres so as to hold the strips of flexible material firmly together to prevent accidental separation whilst still permitting deliberate separation of the two strips by reason of the flexibility of the looped fibres, secured to the other of the garment and the piece of fabric.

The strips of flexible material are those described and 3,438,062 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 claimed in prior United States Pat. No. 2,717,437, and the patented strips are sold under the registered trademark Velcro.

As above indicated, although the Velcro material is the preferred and most convenient form of releasable securing means, a variety of other methods may be adopted.

It may also be desirable to utilise a second releasable securing means, particularly with the Velcro material; for example snap fasteners or press-studs may conveniently be secured to the garment so as to co-operate with the complementary portion of the snap fastener or pressstud secured at the two upper corners of the patch pocket portion of the fabric at the open edge thereof. These pressstuds serve to correctly position the piece of fabric when it is being applied to the garment. Alternatively, zip fasteners may be used.

An example of the invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a portion of a blazer and a piece of fabric in the shape of a patch pocket to be attached thereto. The blazer, indicated generally at 10, has permanently secured thereto, e.g. by sewing, a first strip 11 of a material whose outwardly facing surface carries short stiff flexible hooked fibres, in the position of the breast pocket (the breast pocket itself being absent from the blazer), following the outline of the sides and bottom of a piece of fabric in the shape of a patch pocket to be secured thereto. A piece of fabric 12 in the shape of a patch pocket has permanently secured to the side and bottom edges of the backward facing surface (most of which is invisible in the drawing) a second strip 13 of a flexible material whose backwardly facing surface carries short stitf flexible looped fibres. The forward facing surface 14 of the piece of fabric 12 might carry a badge or emblem, as indicated at 18.

At the top of each side of strip 11 a male or female portion of a press-stud may be attached at 15, the mating portion of the press-stud being attached to the top corners 16 of the pocket 14 to properly position the top corners of the pocket 14 when it is applied to the garment.

When the strip 13 is pressed against the first strip of material 11, the two are releasably secured together, though they can readily be pulled apart again when re quired. It would have been possible to secure the material with hooked fibres on the portion of fabric 12, and the material with looped fibres on the blazer. Other modifications to the particular embodiment of the invention described and illustrated may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A garment having removably attached thereto a piece of fabric which is in the shape of a patch pocket and which forms an outer wall of the pocket, the inner wall of the pocket being constituted by the front of the garment, and attachment means extending along the two side edges and bottom edge of the pocket to secure said piece of fabric to the front of the garment and close the sides and bottom of the pocket, which attachment means comprises first and second means respectively secured to the garment and said piece of fabric which first and second means are releasably interengaged.

2. A garment as claimed in claim 1 being a blazer type jacket and having a badge on said piece of fabric, said pocket being a breast pocket.

3. A garment having removably attached thereto for the provision of a patch pocket, an appropriately shaped piece of fabric bearing distinguishing insignia and form ing an outer wall of said pocket, the inner wall of which is formed by the front of the garment, said piece of fabric being secured to the garment by means of a first strip of flexible material, one surface of which carries short,

3 stiif, flexible, hooked fibres, secured to one of the garment and the piece of fabric, and a second strip of flexible material, one surface of which carries short, stiff, flexible, looped fibres adapted to be engaged by the said hooked fibres so as to hold the strips of flexible material firmly together to prevent accidental separation while still permitting deliberate separation of the two strips by reason of the flexibility of the looped fibres, secured respectively to the other of the garment and the piece of fabric, said strips of flexible material extending continuously down 10 both sides and across the bottom of the shaped piece of fabric, which is left free at its top edge.

4. A garment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the interengaging parts of one or more press-studs are secured to the garment and to the piece of fabric at the top ends of said strips in order to correctly position the piece of fabric when it is being applied to the garment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,062,160 5/1913 Kelly 2-247 2,530,453 11/1950 Eagle 2247 2,546,084 3/1951 Berrnan et a1. 2247 2,908,982 10/1959 Corley 2-247 X 2,986,743 6/1961 Eilen 2247 X 3,174,156 3/1965 Dale et al 2247 X 3,280,488 10/1966 Rubin 2-279 X ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner. 

